Soldiers in the IDF’s elite Oketz canine unit take a break with one of their dogs. Photo: IDF via Wikimedia Commons.

In the past year, India has acquired more than two dozen “elite sniffer and attack dogs” from Israel to help provide security for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other VIPs, the Calcutta-based newspaper The Telegraph reported this week.

“The new four-legged recruits to the SPG (Special Protection Group) are considered the best in the world in sniffing out explosive booby-traps,” a senior Indian security official was quoted as saying.

According to the official, the imported canines include Labradors, German Shepherds, Belgian Malinoises and a fourth unidentified “rare breed.”

“Because of a heightened threat perception, we wanted to beef up the prime minister’s security,” the official said.

Israel and India are currently celebrating the 25th anniversary of the official establishment of diplomatic relations. Ties between the two countries have flourished in recent years and, last month, Modi became the first-ever sitting Indian prime minister to visit the Jewish state.